


Sunset

by BloodRedRidingHood



Series: I'll Be Your Shield [21]
Category: Captain America: The First Avenger - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Bucky and Steve interaction, Flashbacks, Gen, Howling Commandos - Freeform, Hydra, WW2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-12
Updated: 2013-11-12
Packaged: 2018-01-01 07:01:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1041805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodRedRidingHood/pseuds/BloodRedRidingHood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He could only imagine the hell that would be unleashed if someone thought Russia was willing to sacrifice the Howling Commandos.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunset

**Author's Note:**

> Flashback sequence!

_Russia, 1945_

_Steve watched the factory from the cover of the trees, noting the movement of the guards and the timing of the spotlights that swung around the perimeter. They would have to be quick if they were going to get inside without getting caught. He motioned to the Commandos to get ready; the light swung round just as the guard passed their hiding spot._

_Quietly, but as quick as they could, Steve led Bucky, Gabe, and Dum Dum straight across the field while Jacques, Jim, and James ran to the entrance of the compound. They were armed with grenades and a bomb large enough to blow half the factory sky high. Steve only hoped that they were all safely away by the time it went off._

_They reached the walls without being spotted. Steve pointed out a guard who was rounding the corner, having barely seen him out of the corner of his eye before making it to cover. Dum Dum nodded and, as the guard came into view, grabbed him and snapped his neck so quickly that the poor guy didn’t even know what was happening._

_Somewhere on the other side of the compound, shouting could be heard. It wasn’t near the entrance, where the other Commandos were, and it wasn’t anywhere near them. Bucky raised an eyebrow at Steve, who shrugged and pushed ahead. He’d take advantage of any distraction he could in order to raze this place to the ground._

_Once inside, they took out three more guards and made their way to the main production lines. Once there, it was only a matter of time before the alarms sounded, so they made quick work of dispatching any HYDRA soldiers and freeing the captives held there. After the room was clear, Gabe began placing the mini bombs that Stark had designed for this place._

_There was a commotion outside of the door and more guards poured in, but they didn’t seem to be after the men currently working to blow the place up. Steve heard shout of “She’s going to detonate the bomb!” and “Get the bitch!” as they ran through, and they made it halfway before noticing the Americans. They remedied that, of course, and began firing their modified HYDRA weapons._

_Steve and Bucky dove behind an assembly line while Dum Dum and Gabe hid behind a large crate. They took turns firing until there were no more guards, and then collected the guns and grenades the enemy had on their bodies._

_When their work in the room was finished, they pushed through to the corridors beyond, taking out any enemy personnel they came across. Gabe and Dum Dum placed more mini bombs as they went, ensuring the place would be rubble when they were done._

_They could hear the commotion heading towards the entrance, and Steve hoped that the others were alright. He also wondered who this mystery woman was that the guards were so desperate to kill. Steve heard more shouts about her, some not quite so nice, and figured they might be able to help her. He led his men in the direction the shouting and gun fire was coming from._

_Dum Dum and Bucky went first, closely followed by Gabe. Steve brought up the rear, shield strapped to his back in case anyone decided to surprise them. The next large room was a disaster, and Dum Dum and Bucky took down the straggling guards quickly. Gabe went in next, covered by the first two, while Steve kept his eye on the hallway behind them. It was relatively quiet now, just some shouting from outside, and Steve nodded to his men._

_They made it through this room without further contact, and continued on. Steve had almost made it through the hole that had been blown in the wall opposite where they had entered before he heard a grunt of frustration. He motioned to Bucky to wait while he checked it out._

_Near the hole, under rubble from the blast, a girl was trapped, her legs pinned under several heavy stones. She was wearing a black suit, skin tight and covered in dust so that it looked more gray than anything, and her bright red hair was tied in a braid down her back. She was bleeding from several small cuts on her face and neck, but other than that and the pinned legs, she didn’t seem seriously injured. She didn’t look at him directly, but if he had to guess, he would say that she was no older than eighteen or nineteen._

_'You’re the one that HYDRA is looking for, aren’t you?' Steve asked in broken Russian. The girl stilled her desperate attempts to get free, but still avoided looking at him._

_'You’re American,' she said. 'You should get out.'_

_Steve holstered his pistol and maneuvered himself so that he could shift the stones a bit. They were heavy, but not too heavy that he couldn’t do it, and he strained. The stones moved a bit, enough for the girl to begin working her legs free, and within moments she was out._

_'Can you walk?' Steve asked. 'I can get you back to the trees.'_

_The girl shook her head and headed towards the door that the Commandos had entered from, pulling out two pistols of her own. She was moving slowly, but not so slowly that Steve didn’t think she would escape. She paused as she reached the doorway, looking over her shoulder at him. 'Thank you,' she said, and then she was gone._

_Bucky poked his head back in just as the girl’s braid disappeared from view. “You comin’ or what?”_

_Steve nodded and pushed Bucky forward. It was a simple task meeting up with the other Commandos and retreating back into the trees. Jacques assured him that the bombs were all in place, and Steve gave him the command to detonate._

_The factory went up in a large ball of fire, four areas of explosions all happening within seconds of each other. Steve watched it burn for a moment before another explosion happened at the very far end of the compound. Arching an eyebrow at his men, they shrugged. After making sure that nothing would survive, the seven men turned and headed back towards base camp._

_Bucky walked next to him, rifle in hand, always ready to engage the enemy. Nudging Steve with his elbow, he slowed down for a moment, letting the others get a bit ahead of them._

_“Why’d you hang back?” Bucky asked. “What did you find?”_

_“There was a girl in there,” Steve explained. “I think she was the one who set off that other explosion.”_

_Bucky scowled. “Who the hell would send a girl in there? Do you think she was alone?”_

_“I don’t know, Buck.” Steve hoped she had been, because what kind of unit would leave one of their own to die like that? “I got her out of the rubble, and she left. I can only assume that she got out before the place went up. She was Russian, or at least she spoke Russian, so maybe she’ll be able to get some help.”_

_It was sunset the next day by the time they got back to base camp. The Commandos went immediately to their barracks (canvas tents all clustered together near the mess hall) to change and warm up, while Steve went straight to see Colonel Philips. He had asked Bucky not to say anything about the girl (“You just want them all for yourself, don’t ya, Steve?”), and he wasn’t even sure if he was going to tell anyone. He could only imagine the hell that would be unleashed if someone thought Russia was willing to sacrifice the Howling Commandos._

_In the end, Steve told nobody, and she was completely forgotten three months later when Steve watched his best friend fall to his death._

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, I took some liberties with the official origins. I really wanted to shoutout to the fact that Steve and Natasha had met before, so you have this. I hope you enjoyed, and I appreciate every single one of you!


End file.
